


you're my queen of the night (so still, so bright)

by PunsAndRoses



Category: The Diviners Series - Libba Bray
Genre: F/M, interrim ficlet, so while we're all waiting for the new book
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-24
Updated: 2014-05-24
Packaged: 2018-01-26 08:26:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1681529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PunsAndRoses/pseuds/PunsAndRoses
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He feels something in his chest stir pleasantly and he’s sure it’s not the machinery.</p>
            </blockquote>





	you're my queen of the night (so still, so bright)

**Author's Note:**

> the title, first line, and last line are taken from the song "Ma Belle Evangeline" from the Disney movie 'The Princess and the Frog'.
> 
> just a little something i wrote to pass the time while waiting for the next book.

_Look how she lights up the sky_

 

\--*--

Jericho looks up from his book at the sound of a loud thump in the hallway and the clacking of heels just outside of his room. He feels his mouth quirk up into a wry grin when he noticed what time it was. The professor had made it particularly clear that she should have been back by eleven thirty.

It’s one in the morning.

Marking his progress for the night, he places Nietzsche down on his bedside table and tiptoes over to the door, opening it so he could lean against the frame and watch the sight before him.

Evie was standing in front of the cabinet above the sink where they kept the plates, staring at whatever was inside with an adorable pout to her lips. As soon as the light from his room floods the apartment she immediately turns her head toward him and for all the world looked like a cat caught in headlights.

A very sparkly, dolled-up cat with smudged make up.

She squints for a moment, tilts her head and then, “Jericho?”

“Yes,” he nods, stepping away from his bedroom door and walking toward her.

“Thank god s’you and s’not Uncle Will, he would’a had my head for sure!” she says with an audible sigh of relief and a sudden chuckle. Swaying slightly where she was standing, she reaches for the cabinet doors to steady herself and peers in once again. Her eyes squinting in the darkness.

“What are you looking for?” he asks, standing behind her and peering in himself.

“Lookin’ for somethin’ for this headache.” Her words are slurred and she was swaying a bit. Her right hand pressed to her head, strands of golden hair seeping through her fingers as she rubbed small circles against her temple.

Withholding another chuckle, Jericho gently takes her by the shoulders and leads her away from the kitchen. “Well you won’t find any in the dish cupboard.”

He was disconcerted at how cold her skin was on his fingertips, staring down at the spot on her head she was nursing it startled him how small Evie actually was. During the day she always seemed so larger than life, blinding even. Now however, with her make-up smudged, her skin cold, and her eyebrows furrowed against the pain in her temple, her light seemed diminished.

“The professor told you to be back at two hours ago.”

“Mmhmm.”

“He also explicitly reminded you not to use your abilities to show off at parties.”

“Mmhmm.”

“Evie are you listening to me?”

They had reached the bathroom now and he sits her down on the edge of the tub while he rummages the medicine cabinet for some medicine.

“Aw Jericho don’t be such a wet blanket!” She pouts, leaning her head back against the wall and closing her eyes. “I’m America’s Sweetheart Seer and if I can’t deliver, I’d be disappointing my adoring public!”

He was about to comment when a flash of movement caught his eye. Before he could react, Evie was already kneeling in front of the toilet bowl, clutching its sides tightly as she vomited. The sound of her retching was enough to make Jericho’s stomach churn uncomfortably, steeling himself, he bent down enough to draw her hair out of her face.

When she finished, he grabs a glass by the sink, fills it up with water and hands it to her. “Here.”

She accepts without a word, swishing around the water in her mouth until the aftertaste was gone and then spitting into the sink. “This is just swell, now I’m not even drunk enough to ignore the headache.”

As Jericho pushes aside various bottles and containers he feels his brow furrow when he sees that the one with the pain medication wasn’t there. Will must have taken the bottle to his room. “It’s not here.”

Evie responds with a loud sigh of frustration coupled with the echo of her entire body slumping into the bathtub. After a beat she lifts both legs and perches them by the crook of her knees on the edge of the tub so that they’re dangling on the side. Jericho catches himself tracing the line of her calves and the roundness of her knees with his eyes, quickly chiding himself, he instead focuses on her face.

After that kiss on the rooftop, Evie had insisted that they not tell anybody what had happened, which was just fine with him. Telling his mentor and caretaker that he had maybe fallen for his niece was not a conversation Jericho wanted to have in the immediate future.

He knew that her reason was Mabel, that she still felt guilty about kissing him when she had made it clear (with no subtlety whatsoever) that Mabel was interested in him.

He could never imagine himself with Mabel though, not quiet Mabel who was too much like him, shy and reserved and afraid of living. Not like Evie, so loud and brash and brimming with energy and life. A life that he never knew he wanted until it walked up to him in flashy clothes and kitten heels. Before his mind could register it, his hand reached out and took hers that was also dangling outside the tub.

Her head was tilted back now and her right arm draped over her eyes but he could see the corner of her mouth quirk up slightly.

“Just cause everything’s blurry and my head is killing me doesn’t mean you can get all goofy with me mister.”

Jericho chuckles to himself, low and quiet before standing up and getting a better grip at her hand. “Come on, we need to get you to bed.”

“No!” she whines, batting his hand away before using the walls to support herself until she was on her own two feet again. “Last time I went to bed with a headache, I had nightmares like you wouldn’t believe. If I can’t have medication then I’m walking this off, and you’re gonna keep me company.”

He wasn’t sure where her sudden burst of energy came from but before he could talk her out of it, she had grabbed his arm with both of hers and was dragging him into her room and out the window to the fire escape that lead to the roof.

“Are you always like this when you’re intoxicated?”

Her response was a sudden burst of laughter, followed by a quick groan as she massages the side of her temple again. “Headaches are the worst.”

The entire situation was funny enough that Jericho couldn’t help the small grin that spread across his lips. “Does this mean we get to go back?”

Evie rolls her eyes and gives him a nudge in the ribcage with her elbow, “Don’t be a stiff Jericho! We’re already here. This is going to be the bees knees I promise!”

As they climbed, he makes sure to keep a steady hand on the small of her back, just in case she swayed enough to accidentally fall of the edge. When she catches his eye, her lips curve up into a thin smile. “This is really swell of you, doing this with me. I mean I know dragged you out here but, you could have said no.”

He moves his hand from her back to her arm and squeezes gently. “My conscience probably wouldn’t have let you gone alone anyway.”

Even without seeing her face he knew she was probably rolling her eyes as she chuckled to herself, quickly disguising the action as clearing her throat. He was going to mention something about his promise to her uncle that he would keep her in check when the rickety stairway finally ended and they were on the roof. The sudden night breeze made the strands of beads around her neck clatter against the bright sequins of her dress.

He’s shocked to find that the roof wasn’t as dark as he’d originally anticipated, not with the lights of the city blinking all around them.

She makes her way to the edge and sits down carefully on the ledge, taking great care to keep a good distance between her and the almost thirty-story drop. Feeling suddenly very nervous for her safety, Jericho walks over and sits beside her, eyeing the way she still swayed slightly and the distance between her small body and the edge.

“What nightmares?”

The question shocks both of them, particularly Jericho, who hadn’t noticed the words fly out of his mouth until they were already there between them.

Clearing his throat awkwardly, he shuffles a bit where he’s sitting and focuses his attention to his hands, “Erm, you mentioned a while ago, about nightmares when you have headaches and I just thought—I mean, you don’t have to say if it makes you feel uncomfortable.”

He watches as she turns to face the city below them, something like fear and sadness flashing across her pretty face.

“No it’s fine,” she manages, the ghost of a barely-there smile flitting all too briefly across her lips, “usually they’re…about my brother. He died in the war.”

“I’m sorry Evie.”

“Its fine,” she shakes her head slightly before giving him an actual smile. A beat and then, “You know I noticed, every time I’m up here it always seems to be with you.”

The statement sends a bolt of shock running through his veins and despite his best attempts he feels his heartbeat pick up rhythm. All at once he is filled with the urge to kiss her, enough to make him clench his hands into fists and turn away.

He was still thinking of an appropriate reply when she all too suddenly stands up and grabs his hands, leading him to the middle of the roof.

“What are you doing?”

She turns her head back just enough to smirk at him, “Making it up to you. You know, I seem to recall that some weeks ago, when a certain blonde giant was under the control of some mumbo jumbo magic powder, he had asked me to dance with him.”

For his part, he really doesn’t remember much of what happened that nights so instead Jericho finds himself shocked and at a loss for what to do. Although he really shouldn’t be surprised anymore, since the moment she waltzed into his life the only thing constant about Evie O’Neill was that she always ended up shocking him.

“I never did get to give you that dance huh?” she finishes, her eyes sparkling mischievously.

“So you _are_ always like this when you’re intoxicated.”

Her response is a high, tinkling laugh that floats around them with the cold morning breeze.

Once they reach a location suitable enough for Evie, she spins around to face him and takes both his hands in hers.

“You better oil up those hinges Jericho Jones, I expect you to be a fast learner.”

He’s surprised by how little he’s offended by the pun, only Evie could take the thing he hates most about himself and make it sound so natural. As if he were meant to be that way. Normal. Just like her.

“I really can’t dance you know.”

She raises an eyebrow at him before feigning a look of indignation. “Well I never! Do I look like a Wallflower Wilma with two left feet to you? Trust me.”

Before he can protest, Evie is already positioning his arms around her small frame and swaying them around, humming something slow under her breath, a song he half-remembers hearing on the radio. Positioning his hand on the small of her back, he pulls her in a bit closer and sways with her.

“I’m an awful person,” Evie says after a minute or an eternity of them just swaying side to side, pulling away slightly, he looks down at her and finds her staring at him thoughtfully, something brewing behind her blue eyes.

“Why?” He asks.

She doesn’t answer and instead turns to look away, resting her head on his chest and closing her eyes. He thinks he sees something shimmering just beneath her eyelashes but that could just be her makeup. Suddenly she looks up at him again and her features are rearranged into a playful grin.

“Alright Jericho let’s get this shindig started.”

“Wait wha—”

Before he can react, Evie launches them into a quick Charleston that involves her practically dragging him forward and back as she kicks her heels this way and that. Instead of humming she’s singing out random syllables along with the tune in her head as he struggles to keep up. Soon her singing is interspersed with sudden giggles as she narrowly avoids his foot almost stepping on her. He opens his mouth to apologize but instead he finds himself chuckling, keeping an eye on his feet so he doesn’t step on her.

As the dance begins picking up speed, Evie lifts his right hand where it’s holding on to her left and she twirls them both around. He loses his footing however and lets go of her hand so they both don’t end up tripping over each other.

Balancing himself, he manages to look up just in time to catch Evie laughing as she twirls around and round the roof of the hotel. Her beads whipping around her body as her dress sequins catch the dim glow of the lamplights.

He feels something in his chest stir pleasantly and he’s sure it’s not the machinery.

She stops twirling and stumbles into him, her hands grasping his arms for balance as she laughs. He smiles, despite himself, and tucks away a lock of her hair behind her ear. Once her laughter dies down, he finds himself staring at her eyes again, they were bright with life as the ghost of a smile stayed on her lips.

“Jericho—”

Before she could finish what she was saying (and before he could really stop himself), he places a quick kiss to her lips, catching her smile just before it fades away entirely.

He pulls away just as fast, gauging her reaction and fully ready to apologize. The same unreadable expression from crosses her face and for a moment, Jericho thinks he spots something like guilt flash across her eyes. He’s about to apologize when she grabs at his neck and pulls him down to her, holding him in place as she kisses him.

His hands gently cup the sides of her face, kissing her back until he becomes light headed. When they both pull away for air, she turns to look at him, a small sad smile curling up the corners of her mouth.

“I’m an awful person.” She says again, the words a whisper against his mouth.

He runs his fingertips against her cheek before hugging her to him, feeling the way she burrows her face into his chest.

\--*--

 

_I love you, Evangeline_


End file.
